The Big Candy Store Robberies
A string of candy store robberies has Joe Friday and Bill Gannon baffled. Can they catch the robbers in the act before they strike again? Story Act 1 Monday March 18, 1967 Friday and Gannon are working out of Robbery Division this time. A string of candy store robberies has Friday and Gannon baffled they need to catch the robbers before they strike again. 9:00 AM Friday and Gannon go to the first Rachelle Candy Store the place was robbed last night at 8:00 PM just as the manager was locking up. Mrs. Hardy the day clerk describes the suspects one of them was a tall gaunt man who has a blue steel automatic pistol. Mrs. Hardy tells them what happened. During the robbery the two bandits held her up while she was loading candy into the windows. When her tray was empty she went to the register and the robbers demanded she hand them all of her cash. She opened the register and dropped the tray at the same time. That's when they started shooting and ran off with the loot. Friday and Gannon finish questioning her and she hands Gannon a brittle before they head back to the office. 9:35 Friday and Gannon report to the chief. Captain Howell calls them in and tells them people are asking questions and Friday tells the chief they will get the robbers by the end of the week. The only leads are the shell casings, and fingerprints that are not a match. Friday and Gannon say the MO does not add up all the crooks have been stealing are $50s and $10s and this was from the first job. Friday says there are 15 stores downtown 10 have been hit which means there are 5 left and they need to act fast if they are going to get the crooks. Friday and Gannon place 10 men in each shop undercover and they wait. Friday briefs each officer and then they set up the stakeout. Friday and Gannon wait in room 1K80 for reports and have been placed on rolling stakeout. Friday and Gannon wait for dinner and it arrives with Dorthy just as the first call comes in. Act 2 Friday and Gannon roll out. 6:20 PM the holdup alarm has gone off the crooks have held the store up an hour before the time of the first robbery. Friday and Gannon go to the alley the strike team got the wrong man and the wrong gun. Tuesday March 19, 1967 10:00 AM the chief calls them into his office. Gannon tells them Ray Murray identified the suspect his name is Max Schiffler a petty crook operating out of Kansas City he was only in LA for an hour, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got shot by the officers in the stakeout. Friday and Gannon roll out at 7:00 PM and wait for calls on the radio. 9:00 PM two of the stores closed and the officers went home. 10:00 PM the other three closed and the stakeout was called off Friday and Gannon return to the office. Wednesday March 20, 1967 Friday calls for an extension and the second night of stakeouts begins. 8:00 PM Friday and Gannon replace Edwards and Logan and head to store four on Wiltshire and wait. Friday gets the call the robbers are holding up Mrs. Hardy again. Friday and Gannon head over there at 8:20 PM. The officer says he shot the robber twice and he trailed blood to Skid Row and 5th. Friday and Gannon hit the hotel and arrest our suspect Claude Thibodeau. Act 3 9:15 PM Friday and Gannon take Claude downtown and question him the gun was never found. 9:45 Mrs. Hardy arrives and Friday and Gannon parade the suspect and several other inmates they brought in and Mrs. Hardy identifies Claude. The chief comes in and brings in the second suspect George Watson who robbed the second store that night. Friday and Gannon place the two robbers next to each other. Claude and George tell Friday and Gannon they held up the stores for liquor money. When Claude got busted he hid the gun in the alley and George picked it up and robbed the second store. Friday tells the two robbers that the story was in the papers but they tell him they are illiterate. Gannon takes the two robbers down to the jail while Friday fills out the paperwork. With the paperwork filled out Friday and Gannon have a chat and head home with Dorthy taking Friday to his apartment. Sentencing Claude Thibodeau and George Watson were found guilty of armed robbery and sentenced to 5 years in San Quentin Prison also called Q Prison.